The Stanley Parable's Davey Wreden on breaking the fourth wall

Jul 25, 2020

Davey Wreden, indie designer behind The Stanley Parable and The Beginner’s Guide, mixes film-inspired twists with intimate storytelling. He discusses moving from film school to games. He explains starting design from an emotional core. He talks about using minimal mechanics and iterative 3D spaces to convey feeling.

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ANECDOTE

Bedroom Mod Launched A Career

Davey Wreden built The Stanley Parable as a two-year bedroom mod while at USC film school and had no initial plans to become a game developer.
The mod's unexpected success forced him to reconsider his career and led him to pursue game development full time.

INSIGHT

Film School Was A Story Shortcut

Wreden went to film school because he equated storytelling with film and wanted the legitimacy it offered, despite his stronger pull toward games.
He later realized film lacked the gameplay element he truly cared about and felt out of place among film-obsessed peers.

INSIGHT

From Twist Thrills To Emotional Density

Early influences for Wreden were twist-driven, subversive films like early Christopher Nolan and Charlie Kaufman that inspired 'whoa' moments.
Over time he shifted toward slower, emotionally dense stories exemplified by films like Inside Out.

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When people ask what it means to make a game, they typically point to a standard set of devices: points, scores, levels, and so on. It’s rare that story makes the list. And yet, gamemaker Davey Wreden was able to move the medium to new heights with a deep exploration of story in his breakout freshman title The Stanley Parable, a tale of an office worker who veers from the script. With The Beginner’s Guide, Wreden flipped the post-modern switch with a fourth-wall breaking effort that evoked Cervantes and his favorite director Charlie Kaufman. We talked to Wreden about his design process, why games need an emotional core, and why film school isn’t for everybody.

Resources:

+ The Stanley Parable

+ The Beginner's Guide

Host:

Jamin Warren (@jaminwarren)

Credits:

Anthony Martinez, producer

Nick Sylvester, music

About Killscreen

Killscreen is an arts and culture organization committed to advancing the dialogue and practice of games and play. Founded in 2010, we seek to drive the intersection of games, play, and culture through cross-disciplinary collaboration to show the world why play matters. We want to break down the barriers that have traditionally segregated play and games from other creative disciplines and highlight creators with ambassadorial relationships to the world around us.

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This episode was hosted by Jamin Warren, founder of Killscreen. Music by Nick Sylvester.

Thoughts? Guest suggestions? Email us at info@killscreen.com.

Killscreen is an arts and culture organization committed to advancing the practice of interdisciplinary play. Founded in 2010, we seek to drive the intersection of design, culture, and impact through cross-disciplinary collaboration to show the world why play matters. We want to break down the barriers that have traditionally segregated play and games from other creative disciplines and foster a diverse community of creators with ambassadorial relationships to the world around us.

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